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National Apprenticeship Week 2024: Celebrating a Decade of Advances in Inclusive Policy

By Mary Greenfield

National Apprenticeship Week is November 17–23, and there’s no better time to highlight the value of registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) as a proven pathway to employment for youth and young adults. With historic levels of federal investment in high-demand industries such as manufacturing, construction and clean energy, these good jobs require a pipeline of trained talent that RAPs can help fill.

Fortunately, federal and state governments have been prioritizing the advancement of RAPs, creating policies and directing funding over the past decade to increase access to these paid, on-the-job learning opportunities. Policy work has also focused specifically on improving access for underserved and marginalized groups, such as youth with disabilities.

Below, the Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) notes some of the major milestones in the advancement of RAPs over the past 10 years, along with resources about apprenticeship for employers, apprentices and workforce system providers.

2014

Passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Passed in July of 2014, WIOA provides states with funds to strengthen workforce development programs. Title 1B of WIOA allots formula funding to local workforce boards to cover training and related instruction costs for apprenticeships as well as costs associated with supportive services (e.g., transportation, clothes, books, etc.). Reducing these barriers allows more people to access RAP opportunities and a pathway to financial freedom. For more information, check out the Federal Resources Playbook for Registered Apprenticeship.

2016

Modernization of the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Regulations for the National Apprenticeship Act (or Fitzgerald Act, first enacted in 1937). The updated EEO regulations prohibit discrimination against apprentices and applicants based on race, color, age, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information or disability and establish affirmative action requirements for apprenticeship sponsors. Shortly after the update to the EEO regulations, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) introduced the Voluntary Disability Disclosure Form 671 Section II, Part A, which allows apprentices and applicants with disabilities to self-identify without risk of penalty and helps sponsors better identify and report the number of apprentices who identify as disabled.

2018–20

DOL funds the Apprenticeship Inclusion Models (AIM) demonstration projects. The AIM projects explore approaches to make RAPs more accessible to youth and adults with disabilities. The resources published from these projects continue to guide states on best practices for successfully recruiting and retaining apprentices with disabilities.  

2019

Implementation of the 7%  “aspirational goal” adopted in the EEO Regulations begins for covered sponsors. The goal sets a benchmark that 7% of sponsors’ apprenticeship workforces consist of qualified individuals with disabilities.

2020

DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy launches the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship to help employers and apprenticeship intermediaries design inclusive apprenticeship programming in the emerging fields of clean energy, health care, and more. PIA also provides resources that help influence the adoption of inclusive apprenticeship approaches and best practices across the nation.

Today, 80% of states report providing funding to apprenticeship sponsors to increase both employer participation in apprenticeship and the number of apprentices. Of the 37 states that have incentives encouraging apprenticeship—through either tuition support or tax credits—more than half include explicit benefits for hiring youth apprentices or people with disabilities. For more on how incentives can support adoption of inclusive apprenticeships, check out this report from the Urban Institute.

As of September 2024, more than 40 states also have pre-apprenticeships that serve young people (ages 16–24). The DOL-funded initiative YouthBuild, which operates in 40 states, has proved successful in promoting access to pre-apprenticeship, hosting 280 programs that have served more than 200,000 youth to date. Proposed amendments to the National Apprenticeship Act if passed, would reprioritize pre-apprenticeships as a useful pathway to recruit more young people from underrepresented populations into RAPs. For more on how states can strengthen pre-apprenticeships for people with disabilities, check out this AIM report.

Over the last decade, apprenticeship has led to good jobs and changed lives. If enacted, current proposed amendments to the National Apprenticeship Act would shape hiring standards to guarantee diversity to RAPs and continue to expand access underrepresented groups of young people have to pursue apprenticeships. As we progress into the next decade, we must continue to safeguard the participation of young people from all backgrounds, with or without disabilities, in apprenticeship.

To find out how you can collaborate with your state to increase apprenticeship opportunities for youth and young adults, submit a free request for technical assistance on the CAPE-Youth website. To stay up to date on CAPE-Youth’s inclusive apprenticeship work, follow us on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Breaking Barriers: Promoting Inclusive Work-Based Learning and Good Jobs in Massachusetts

By Abeer Sikder, JD

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), an annual celebration of the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. In honor of this year’s theme, “Access to Good Jobs for All,” the Office of Disability Employment Policy’s Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) is highlighting an innovative Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) program that provides youth and young adults with disabilities (Y&YAD) access to high-quality employment experiences.

In 2003, MCB Commissioner John Oliveira, the organization’s Director of Staff Development at that time, piloted MCB’s Summer Internship Program for two college students to respond to a pressing need. “We observed many of our consumers graduate from high school and college with little to no work experience, which was impacting their job readiness,” he says.

The pilot grew into a statewide Summer Internship Program, which provides competitive work-based learning (WBL) opportunities aimed at developing real-world skill sets for young adults who are blind or have low vision. Today, MCB facilitates in-state and out-of-state internships, both in-person and virtual, for not only high school seniors and college students, but also adult job seekers reentering the workforce.

Since the Summer Internship Program’s inception, MCB has:

Employer Engagement

Inclusive internship programs offer Y&YAD opportunities to evaluate different careers while providing employers with new prospective candidates. Through its Summer Internship Program, MCB places interns in various fields, including government, human services, computer science, and education. Employer partners include National Braille Press, the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Bay Cove Human Services.

To start, MCB counselors pair interns with employers and mentors who guide them during job searches. Counselors also help participants explore career opportunities, which have included job shadowing attorneys, working at radio stations, attending space camps, or hiking the Grand Canyon as part of their leadership development programming.

MCB also collaborates with employers to increase participant success. For example, MCB’s sensitivity training helps employers and mentors understand how to support interns. The training focuses on disability inclusion standards for all staff and specific training for supervisors. MCB also works with workplace information technology teams to integrate assistive technology.

Support Services

Research shows that support services foster successful WBL experiences for Y&YAD, so MCB offers interns a variety of them. One example is orientation and mobility training, which helps participants improve their confidence in new environments, manage their disability in the workplace, and internalize key skill sets.

During their internships, students continue to receive support from MCB and access to its vocational rehabilitation services. MCB also provides a $1,000 stipend to interns not paid by their employer to help cover transportation, clothes, and meals.

MCB provides additional opportunities for interns to engage in empowerment and mentorship, including:

  • A youth council that helps develop self-advocacy skills with a community of peers.
  • “Blind-to-blind” mentorships that connect interns to experienced professionals who are blind or have low vision. Mentors guide interns in navigating office politics, career outcomes, and more.

Soft Skills

Teaching soft skills to Y&YAD can promote self-confidence, maintain employment, and increase job satisfaction. Reflecting this, MCB provides soft skills training to participants before and during their internships to help them succeed and prepare for their next move.

“This training helps interns get those intangibles right … with interpersonal skills development to encourage emotional intelligence,” says MCB Director of Programs and Services and former intern Joe Buizon.

This includes training on job searches, networking, and interviews. A unique aspect of MCB’s soft skills training is helping interns figure out how to disclose their disability to employers.

Over the last few years, MCB translated its soft skills training into a virtual format. Oliveira says telework has made reasonable accommodations “mainstream” to help avoid travel-related issues. MCB offers virtual, in-person, and hybrid options based on an individual’s preference for orientation, training, and placement.

A Model for Good Jobs in Massachusetts and Beyond

WBL experiences such as MCB’s Summer Internship Program play a significant role in helping Y&YAD engage with employers, seek support services, and gain soft skills to access good jobs.

“MCB’s internship program is a national model that’s being utilized throughout the entire country with different vocational rehabilitation agencies,” Buizon says. “The program has been discussed at National Council of State Agencies for the Blind meetings. Throughout its development … we ensured other agencies were informed about the program’s progress.”

On that front, MCB’s Summer Internship Program also supports developed by the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Labor Good Jobs Principles:

  1. Paying interns through an employer or a stipend that covers associated costs of internships.
  2. Offering extensive wraparound supports that connect interns to individuals who are legally blind or visually impaired to boost interns’ confidence in the workplace.
  3. Building a foundation for success by focusing on long-term employability, soft skills, and diverse career exploration.

Buizon also emphasizes that most interns are enrolled in Pre-Employment Transition Services, which vocational rehabilitation agencies and schools are required to provide under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Due to its success, MCB’s Summer Internship Program can serve as an example for other states to meet this requirement through meaningful WBL opportunities that increase access to good jobs for all .

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Lessons from Iowa: What States Can Learn About Collaboration from Workforce Development Professionals

By Abeer Sikder, JD, and David Barch, CWDP

When the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) honored Miranda Swafford as a Workforce Hero in 2023, it was not just a recognition of her work as a workforce development professional but also a celebration of the power of collaboration to transform lives. For NAWDP, forging partnerships and collaborations among industry organizations is central to success.

Swafford has dedicated her career to building connections and fostering inclusion and now serves as executive director of the Mississippi Valley Workforce Development Board (MVWDB) in West Burlington, Iowa. Like Swafford, workforce development professionals across the country function as community partners who unite government, industry, educators, job seekers, and others to create opportunities and improve regional economies.

During Workforce Development Month in September, The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth is spotlighting Swafford and the innovations of workforce development professionals. State policymakers looking to enhance youth service delivery and workforce systems may glean lessons from these professionals in connecting diverse partners to boost employment for future generations, including youth and young adults with disabilities (Y&YAD).

A multicolored graphic titled “Workforce Collaboration in Iowa’s Mississippi Valley” in large text. At the top, there is a dark yellow box titled, “Mississippi Valley Workforce Development Board (MVWDB),” with the following in dark blue text: “The MVWDB collaborates with Iowa Workforce Development (a state agency) through regular partnership meetings, ongoing staff training in disability awareness, and resource sharing. As part of the American Job Centers (AJC) network, the local IowaWORKS offices located throughout the state serve job seekers and businesses with workforce needs. Under this sentence in a connected lite yellow section of the box, it says the following in dark blue text: “The U.S. Department of Labor coordinates 2,300 AJCs nationwide to provide a full range of assistance to job seekers, employees, and employers.” Below the large yellow box are three blue boxes connected by arrows in a triangle formation. In each blue box there is dark blue text against a light blue background. The top box is titled “Iowa Workforce Development” in white text. It says, “Iowa Workforce Development incudes a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services division that helps Iowans with disabilities find successful employment.” The bottom left box is titled “Accelerate Iowa” in white text. It says, “One of the MVWDB’s most successful initiatives is Accelerate Iowa, a program that helps young and young adults (16-24) prepare for success in their chosen career.” The bottom right box is titled “Transition Alliance Program (TAP),” in white text. It says, “VR partners with schools to maintain the TAP, which provides year round services to youth and young adults with disabilities.” In the middle of the triangle (formed by the three blue boxes) is a blue star with yellow text titled “GOAL” Under the title in large yellow text, it says, “Youth Successful Transition to the Workforce.”

Becoming a Workforce Hero

Swafford’s personal and professional experiences profoundly shaped her career.

“I encountered obstacles and discrimination that individuals with disabilities often face in accessing equitable opportunities,” says Swafford, who has been blind since birth.

Swafford has worked as an instructor, direct support professional, and chapter president of the National Federation for the Blind of Iowa. These experiences inspired her to support marginalized communities through workforce development.

Now, at the MVWDB, she collaborates with local, state, and federal policymakers to implement programs that empower all members of her community—including Y&YAD—to achieve their full potential. For example, the MVWDB coordinates with Iowa Workforce Development and American Job Centers (AJC), with regular partnership meetings, ongoing staff training in disability awareness, and resource sharing.

“We prioritize accessibility across all our services through our comprehensive accessibility plan, offering a ‘no wrong door’ approach,” Swafford says.

The MVWDB accessibility plan includes:

    • Regular training on reasonable accommodations.

    • Updated resource guides on assistive technology.

    • Corrective action plans for accessibility concerns.

Promoting Disability Access

The Iowa State Workforce Development Board created a State Disability Access Committee to promote competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities and to continuously improve Iowa’s one-stop delivery system of services for job seekers. Iowa also requires local workforce development boards to maintain their own Local Disability Access Committees.

The MVWDB’s Disability Access Committee board includes members like Swafford, AJC staff, and members of community-based organizations. The committee prioritizes:

    • Connecting employers with training and resources for workplace accommodations and inclusive hiring.

    • Conducting outreach to engage individuals with disabilities in the workforce system.

    • Educating employers about the benefits of hiring Y&YAD.

The committee also promotes financial incentives for inclusive hiring, such as:

    • The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which offers a federal income tax credit to encourage employers to hire individuals from underrepresented groups, including people with disabilities and youth ages 16–17.

Accelerating Transitions for Youth

Swafford’s work with vocational rehabilitation (VR) and schools to advance workforce development includes outreach geared toward Y&YAD that encourages co-enrollment with VR. This collaboration between school districts and VR cultivates various initiatives, such as the Transition Alliance Program (TAP), which provides year-round services to Y&YAD by:

    • Working with educators, employers, and policymakers to help participants develop job-seeking and job-keeping skills.

    • Supporting participants with housing, transportation, and medical matters.

    • Teaching participants independent living skills.

Swafford says the MVWDB collaborates closely with VR to deliver tailored services to schools. The MVWDB presents services in dedicated classes for students with disabilities, participates in transition fairs for graduating students, and conducts informational sessions on Accelerate Iowa, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

Broadly speaking, Accelerate Iowa supports marginalized youth ages 16–24 years old by:

    • Helping them identify desired career pathways.

    • Offering education and training for career success.

    • Assigning career navigators who build one-on-one relationships with both in-school and out-of-school youth to explore opportunities.

Accelerate Iowa also includes work-based learning (WBL), such as job shadowing and internships with local employers. WBL designed specifically for Y&YAD spans many industries, including manufacturing, construction, technology, transportation, and welding. WBL participants are employed—they earn wages and are eligible for workers’ compensation and liability insurance. Accelerate Iowa reimburses employers 50–75 percent of wages for up to 1,040 work hours during training and can pay youth for completing on-the-job training.

To further empower Y&YAD, Accelerate Iowa’s workplace readiness and life skills programs provide training in financial literacy and leadership development. Participants also have opportunities for mock interviews, resume reviews, labor market education, and virtual reality training.

In March 2024, the MVWDB hosted an event at Mount Pleasant High School in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, spotlighting careers in health care and skilled trades. Students were able to explore these career paths using virtual reality headsets.

“To ensure inclusivity, we collaborated closely with the TAP coordinator to prioritize slots for students with disabilities,” says Swafford. “Additionally, we distributed information … detailing career pathways, potential salaries, training options, and local opportunities.”

Conclusion and Best Practices

Swafford’s achievements in Iowa highlight the vast potential of inclusive and partner-driven workforce development practices. She offers the following guidance for policymakers in other states seeking to foster meaningful collaboration:

    1. Embody effective leadership to “generate positive change and cultivate a more equitable and prosperous future for our communities.”
    2. Execute a “vision of a workforce system that values the contributions of every individual, irrespective of their background or disability status.” 
    3. Establish diverse partnerships to meet the needs of business, industry, and job seekers, making sure marginalized communities are included.

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